The colors of the rainbow. The glow of the Northern Lights. The dramatic flash of summer lightning. All the light of the evening sky are captured in the mysterious, shifting hues of Opal.

With its pulsating display of fire and color, Opal was long thought to hold magical powers. Opals symbolized hope, innocence, and purity to the Greeks and Romans. Opals were often reserved for royalty. The crown of the Holy Roman Emperor held a superb example, a fiery red Opal called “The Burning of Troy”. This superb Opal was given as a gift from Napoleon to Josephine – forming part of the crown jewels of France. Queen Victoria of England also loved Opals, and often presented them as wedding gifts.

Opal is found in several different colors including: black Opal (pictured), whose blue, gray or black body color enhances the play of fire; white or fire Opal, with a lightish or white body color; and crystal Opal, a transparent version with bright color flashes. Boulder Opal has color flashes intertwined with rock matrix. Opals are not faceted but cut into rounded or free-form cabochons that enhance their play of color.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline comes in the widest variety of colors of any gemstone with green being the most well-known. Vivid reds, hot pinks, verdant greens and blues abound in this marvelous gem variety. Some are also called by individual names: chrome, rubellite, indicolite, or are called by the location from which they are mined such as, California, Maine, or Paraiba (Brazil). Tourmalines, because of their vivid, rich colors are often substituted for more expensive emeralds, sapphires and rubies.

Tourmalines occur in many forms as well: several faceted shapes, cabochons (domed), carvings, thin slices called Watermelon Tourmaline (in which the center is pink with an outer green edge), “parti-colored” (in which the cut gemstone transitions in color shades from two to several shades including, green, blue, colorless, and pink), and “cat’s eye”, in which a vertical line is centered in a dome-shaped stone, appearing as the eye of a cat.

Browse our large selection of gorgeous and affordable Opal & Tourmaline Jewelry at www.JRJewelers.com now!

There’s a group of people around the world that spend their lives training, practicing for and dreaming of a big gold pendant. This gold accessory is generally hung in a house – sometimes framed – and by any account, cannot be considered the ‘perfect’ accessory for an everyday ensemble. You can continue reading about Olympic Gold here.

Titanium is a great metal to use for jewelry because of its strength and greater scratch resistance compared to gold, silver and other metals. Pure titanium will not react to oils in the skin, sunlight and salt water. Not only this but titanium can be colored with a wide array of exotic colors where most other metals suitable for jewelry cannot.

Be aware that if you do have colored titanium jewelry like with any metal the colored titanium can be scratched off. The color is caused by oxidisation which only affects the surface of the metal not the entire depth. Oxygen tends to cause a structural change in the metals surface therefore creating an oxide. By using electricity for certain periods of time, the oxygen is forced onto the metals surface and causes it to change colors similar to putting oil on water.

If you purchase a colored titanium ring it is a good choice to get a ring with the satin finish because it will help keep the ring looking great for a longer period of time. Another option is to purchase a colored titanium ring with the color part in grooves for added protection.

One problem with titanium rings is because of their strength they cannot be resized. Sometimes titanium can be stretched up in size, but not down. Make sure when you purchase a titanium ring you give the correct finger sizes to the jeweler.

Another quality trait about titanium is its non-magnetic properties, which makes it ideal where electromagnetic interference is a problem. The most common type of jewelry made with titanium is rings, bracelets and pendants. Men tend to be more attracted to titanium jewelry then women because its durability and strength make it last longer.

Clean titanium jewelry simply by using a soft cloth and warm soapy water. Never use strong detergents or chemicals. Although titanium rings are scratch resistant like any metal they will scratch and show signs of wear. It is a great idea to get your titanium jewelry polished at least once a year to help keep its lustrous looking properties.

We dedicated our life to valuable jewelry and we made a passion for admiring and appraising luxurious, unique and fine jewelry. We gladly share our knowledge and give pieces of advice when you are looking for the right jewel. Find out more about jewelry and let yourself be fascinated by this enchanting world…